WIXLIB

Bolton 018TR 8-9:15COMM 205-5XXSpring 2013Syllabus: Communication for Technical ProfessionsNancy StreetOffice hours TR 8-10Phone: instructors do not have telephonesCourse Director: lnst. Prof. Nancy StreetPhone: 979-862-6968BLTN 107An-street@tamu.edun-street@tamu.ed uCourse DescriptionDesign and presentation of oral reports for technical professions; incorporation of visual and graphic materialsinto presentation required; written reports required.Learning OutcomesThe successful student will:1. Deliver technical speeches for specified audiences.2. Write technical information for specified audiences.3. Work with a team to develop and deliver technical presentations.4. Select appropriate topic and organizational pattern to meet given assignment5 Research the topic and select information that best supports the purpose of the speech6. Cite scholarly sources in oral and written communication7. Deliver extemporaneous speeches within time constraints8. Respond to questions from the audience9. Produce and integrate visual and graphic materials sensory aids to support the message and with respect andsensitivity for the audience.10. Critique his/her speeches and those speeches of others with respect to invention, arrangement, language,style, critical thinking and delivery*Please see additional information about Core Curriculum Components of this course on page 5 of thesyllabus.Required Texts and MaterialsDisanza and Legge AND Thill and Bovee Communication for the Technical Professions ebookavailable with code through local bookstores or available directly from pearson.comwww.pearsoncustom.com/tx/tamu comm205N. Street Packet for COMM 205, Spring 2013 posted on elearning.Print this packet single-sided and bring to class each day throughout the semester.All materials posted on elearningUSB stickGradingThe course grade will be calculated from these assignments with these weights.Project One 10%:Speech One/Outline & BibliographyProject Two 25%:Speech Two/Outline & Bibliography 15% and FAQ paper 10%Project Three 20%:Speech Three/Outline & BibliographyProject Four 25%:Speech Four/Outline & Bibliography 15% and Group Wiki 10%Homework 10%:4 self-evals@ 15 pts. & 2 group pres. planning sheets@ 20 pts.4@ 25 pts.10%Quizzes10%:The final course grade will be assigned like this:B 79.5-89.4C 69.5-79.4A 89.5-100 D 59.5-69.4F 0-59.4Students may rest assured that this scale will be applied uniformly. Please do not request that thescale be applied to your grade in a different manner.Extra credit is never offered on an individual basis. If extra credit is offered, it will be offeredto the entire course and only by the Course Director.

AttendanceClass is going to be so great that we think that you'll want to attend every session, however,Attendance is required at each meeting of COMM 205. Students shall arrive on time and stay for theentire class period. Attendance is documented by the student's full signature on the daily sign-in sheet.Students may have three (3) unexcused absences however no make-up work is available for unexcusedabsences. Therefore, the student shall not have an unexcused absence on days the student is to deliver aspeech, turn in homework or take an exam or quiz.Make-up work is available for students with excused absences in accordance with Student Rules. Pleasesee Student Rule http://student-rules.tamu.edu/rule07 To document an excused absence: We do NOTaccept the Texas A&M University Explanatory Statement for Absence from Class. With the exception ofreligious observances, students must provide written documentation of an excused absence, from ahealthcare provider for illnesses or injuries too severe or contagious for a student to attend class, or from theappropriate official able to document other University excused absences http://student-rules.tamu.edu/ru le07.Please note that job interviews are NOT excused absences. Student shall use their three unexcusedabsences for job interviews and schedule such interviews at times that do not conflict with class.AssignmentsPROJECT ONE: Speech One-Career Aspirations (worth 10% of course grade)Deliver an informative presentation about a career or job within an industry associated with your presentmajor. You have chosen your major for a reason and this presentation will give you the opportunity toarticulate one possible career option. Not only will it help you think about what you want to do after college, itwill help you learn how connect your expertise to serving society. In this speech you should:Describe the tasks of career/job and why it is important for societyDescribe knowledge & expertise required for the jobDescribe why you have personal interest in this jobSpeaker: IndividualAudience: Public/societyPurpose: InformativePresentation minimal requirements:Extemporaneous presentationFull sentence outline & key word (speaking) outline3 sources required (oral citations, written outline citations, bibliography)4 minutes long (3-5 minutes allowed)PROJECT TWO: Speech Two-What's it all About Symposium (worth 15% of course grade) and FAQpaper (worth 10% of course grade)Deliver: An informative symposium about recent technical developments related to your field of study.Group presentation in symposium formatSpeaker: Individual speaker as part of a teamAudience: Public/societyPurpose: InformativePresentation minimum requirements:5 minutes per speaker4 sources per speaker (oral citations, written outline citations, bibliography)2-3 main points per speakerFull sentence outline per speakerPowerpoint presentation by each speaker incorporating visual and graphic material15% of course grade (90% of the grade is derived from individual performance. 10% based on meeting groupcoordination. See elearning for rubric.)Write: an FAQ document about technical aspects of your field of study related to Speech Two.Individual paper-do NOT collaborate in any way5 substantive and distinct questions related to the technical development featured in Speech Two.Each answer shall be supported by at least one source of information (scholarly paper, technicaldocumentation, interview with expert) Sources may or may not be duplicative of sources for speechtwo.Typed, double spacedBibliography formatted to APA

Submitted as requested by instructor (may be hard copy or may be uploaded to elearning as perinstructor's instructions)PROJECT THREE: Speech Three-Here's What You Need (worth 20% of course grade)Professionals in technical fields frequently sell products or services and/or propose projects. For thisassignment, you will work as an individual to prepare either a sales presentation for a product or service ORto propose a project. Details of the assignment are posted on elearning.Speaker: IndividualAudience: Well educated funding agents and/or executives who are not necessarily experts in your field.Purpose: PersuasivePresentation minimum requirements:Extemporaneous presentationIndividual speech 7 minutes plus 2 minute Q&AFull sentence outline & key word (speaking) outline5 sources required (oral citations, written outline citations, bibliography)PowerPoint slides as visual support by each speaker incorporating visual and graphicmaterialPROJECT FOUR: Speech Four-We Can Fix That (15% of course grade) and Group Wiki 110% ofcourse grade)Create: Group wiki (worth 10% of course grade): Collaborative social media tools are especially commonto the technical professions, which is why we are creating wiki pages in this class. Our wiki project is inalignment with Speech #4, "We Can Fix That." For that project, each student will be assigned to a group. Thegroup will select a controversial issue representing risk or crisis and relevant to her/his chosen field(s) andgive a persuasive speech representing each side (see more on elearning). For the wiki, the five partners areto create a wiki page in order to research a problem (crisis or risk) that needs a solution within your chosenindustry. The topic should be timely, or, should address a current problem. Each group's wiki, whencompleted, will be between 2500-3000 words (the equivalent 8-10 double-spaced, Times New Roman printedpages.) While there are stringent academic guidelines to this project, you are encouraged to utilize theinteractive features of the wiki. Feel free to post videos from YouTube or elsewhere, create a hyperlinkedsection for further reading, post pictures, graphs, FAQs, etc. The Wiki will include an Executive Summary(concise; bullets are acceptable) Have fun. This assignment is a challenge but isn't nearly as complex ortime-consuming as it may seem at first. The Wiki site I've chosen is simple to use (it's designed forK12 . that's right.K) and I'll be prompt in answering questions. (Adapted with permission from "Wikis forCommies", unpublished by Lucas Logan, MA)Deliver: Speech Four: "DON'T WORRY-WE CAN FIX THAT" (worth 15% of course grade) In groups (5members) you will research a problem that needs a solution within your chosen industry. This problem mayrepresent a risk or it may represent a crisis. The topic should be timely, or, should address a current problem.Students will work in teams assigned by the instructor.The organizational structure of the speech will be specified in documents posted on elearning.The assignment will be supported by the team's wiki.You will be trying to persuade a well educated but general audience of policy makers to adopt yourpolicy/plan that will fix the problem identified.You will conduct library research but you will also be required to interview an expert to gain a betterunderstanding of this problem and feasible solutions.Group members will be evaluated individually on their presentation of their aspect of the problemand/or solution, and the group will be graded as a whole on the Wiki.You will conduct library research, but you will also be required to interview an expert to gain a betterunderstanding of this problem and feasible solutions.Purpose: PersuasivePresentation minimum requirements:Extemporaneous presentationEach member should speak for 5 minutes.Full sentence outline & key word (speaking) outline4 sources required/per speaker (oral citations, written outline citations, bibliography, 1 mandatoryinterview with expert (professor or industry)PowerPoint slides as visual support by each speaker incorporating visual and graphicmaterial